Parallel Lives
by silverbirch
Summary: Emma Watson is Hermione Granger. Yes, we all know that. No, I mean she really IS Hermione Granger, and at Hogwarts! So in that case, who's the bushy browned haired girl with a wand on the set of Half-Blood Prince?
1. Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMER. All Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and probably others, but not me. _

_In this story, I am also using names of real people. __I will state here that any ideas, words, thoughts or opinions expressed by them are mine and mine alone, and are not intended to represent those people in any way whatsoever. So please don't sue me. Thank you. Anyway, I haven't got any money. Now, on with the story._

* * *

**Parallel**

**: Extending in the same direction, everywhere equidistant, and not meeting**

**: Similar, analogous, or interdependent in tendency or development**

_Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary_

They never did find out how the fire started. It may have been as simple as an ember spitting out of the fireplace onto some discarded parchment. Whatever the cause, by the time it woke the children in the lower dormitories, the Gryffindor Common room was well ablaze.

On the girl's side, Katie Bell took immediate control, showing that Hogwarts had missed a trick in not making her Head Girl. She got the other 6th and 7th years onto the steps and using _Aguamenti_ to make sure no flames penetrated the staircase. Hermione Granger showed them how to cast a bubble-head charm, which was of great assistance.

Surprisingly, perhaps, Lavender Brown also shone that night. She shepherded the younger girls upstairs, taking the very frightened 1st and 2nd years into her dormitory. Within five minutes she had calmed them down, convinced them they weren't about to die, and got them all singing "Brownies will be brave". Then she threw open her make-up box and told them to help themselves, which they did with more enthusiasm than skill. Most went down to breakfast the next day looking like delegates from a Streetwalker's Convention.

On the boy's side, it was Roddy Jackman who came to the fore. He also had the senior pupils keeping back the flames, though they didn't have anyone to show them the bubble charm with the result that Seamus Finnegan suffered a little from smoke inhalation.

Harry Potter _accio_'d his broom and used it to fly to the broom shed to collect as many others as he could in case they needed to use them for evacuation.

Cormac McClaggen cowered under his bed, alternately shouting out useless pieces of advice and calling for his mother.

Meanwhile, the teaching staff were attacking the fire from the other side and by about three o'clock everything was under control. Well, the fire was out anyway.

The following morning Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were surveying the damage along with a very disgruntled Filch.

'Take days, this will' he grumbled. 'Days and days of 'ard work, and I suppose we can all guess who'll 'ave to do it. Meanwhile, what about the rest of the School, eh? Who'll look after that? Then all them kids rampaging through 'ere. Days and days of work.'

'Nonsense' said Dumbledore brightly. 'I'm sure a man of your calibre can cope, Argus. However, the lower dormitories are uninhabitable. I think we will have to send the senior pupils off-site until it is resolved. There is an old Manor House nearby, which has been converted into a hotel, who I'm sure can assist us.'

McGonagall looked at him over her glasses. 'Are you sure that is wise, Albus? Senior pupils they may be, but will they be "sensible"?'

Dumbledore chuckled. 'I'm sure such thoughts would never even cross their minds. However to calm you I shall send Professor Vector to chaperone them. I shall point out that any pupil found in an "inappropriate" room shall be spending a lot more time with their family, and that the bar is out-of–bounds. Trust them, Minerva. What could go wrong?'

McGonagall pursed her lips, but said nothing.

The pupils were duly gathered together and told of the plans. They would depart each evening after dinner in the carriages which would return for the children the next day after they had breakfasted at the hotel and getting them to school in time for first lesson. Hopefully, they could all be back in their own dorms in time for the weekend.

-o0o-

Hermione Granger had the novel experience of being woken by a ringing telephone. Surfacing rapidly she picked up the receiver to hear a recorded message saying "Good morning, this is your early morning alarm call", and then the line went dead. As she lay there, two thoughts crossed her mind.

Firstly, it was nice to have a room her herself, and a bit of quiet. Lavender and Parvati started talking and giggling even before their eyes were open.

Secondly, she didn't remember the phone being there last night. Obviously it had been but she must have missed it. Hauling herself from the bed, she headed off for a shower.

Coming back to her bedroom she pulled on the familiar Hogwarts uniform and set off to find some breakfast. Only Harry and Ron were there, up unusually early for them, and she waved to them as she crossed to the breakfast bar. She looked at the selection with some pleasure; it was certainly better than the usual fat fest they got at Hogwarts. Bowls of muesli and fresh fruit salad greeted her eye, along with pots of yoghurt, freshly brewed coffee and even herbal teas! There didn't appear to be any pumpkin juice, but grapefruit would make a nice change.

Helping herself, she made her way across to her two friends, still pleased that Lavender was no longer an item with "her" Ron. They weren't actually a pair yet, but things were moving along in the right direction. She hadn't had to set any canaries on him for weeks.

'Morning! Where are all the others?'

'I think it's just us this morning. The rest have got some time off, lucky so-and-sos,' replied Harry.

Hermione shrugged. Perhaps with the common room out of action they didn't want people at the school who had free periods. A smartly dressed young lady came into the dining room and smiled at them. 'The cars will be here in fifteen minutes.'

Ron eyed her appreciatively, which caused Hermione to cough rather pointedly. He grinned at her. 'You never know.'

She shook her head in despair. 'Come on, let's go.'

'Yep' said Harry, standing. He waved his hands by his head. 'It's showtime!' What was wrong with them today and why wasn't Harry wearing his glasses?

-o0o-

Emma Watson peeled her eyes open, feeling as if she hadn't slept at all. The interview in Manchester had dragged on, as these things tend to, and then there had been a problem on the motorway, meaning that she hadn't got back to their location hotel until nearly midnight.

Today she had a library scene to film with Dan and Rupert. She knew it would only last less than a minute on screen, but would involve maybe nine or ten hours of work on their part. There were a couple of tricky lines, and if their timing was out…

She looked at her watch. Seven o'clock! She bolted out of bed; where the hell was her alarm call? They had to leave by eight. In fact, where was the telephone? It must have developed a fault. That must be it; they'd taken it away and forgotten to bring a replacement. She would have words.

She quickly jumped into the shower and then came back to dress. When they were doing fairly standard scenes they often brought the costumes back with them as it saved time once they were on location. She pulled on her "school uniform" and headed down for breakfast.

There were quite a few people around, which surprised her. Maybe the second unit were doing a shoot. Judging by the people it was a Gryffindor Common Room scene; possibly the lead up to "Harry" and "Ginny's" first screen kiss. She smiled at the thought of what the press would make of it. No doubt the tabloids would work the word "wand" into it somewhere.

She groaned at the sight of the breakfast buffet. Normally she only took some fresh fruit and yoghurt, with maybe a cup of coffee. This looked a real mess though; lots of bacon, sausages, eggs and even black pudding. She helped herself to a couple of rolls, and a glass of what looked like carrot juice, and headed for a table.

Shefali Chowdhury and Jessie Cave had a spare seat at their table, so she went over to join them. She got on well with Jessie; aware of how difficult it must be for her coming into such a close knit team so late in the series, but she'd done well so far.

'Morning! I overslept a bit. Wouldn't do to be late, would it?'

'Did you?' said Jessie. 'What a disaster. Lucky you don't have to do anything with your hair, isn't it?' She tossed her long blond locks. 'If you'll excuse me.' With that she got up and walked from the room, leaving half of her breakfast behind.

'_Pardon me for breathing' _thought Emma. Shefali looked at her and shrugged.

An old man came into the room. 'Carriages will be here in fifteen minutes.' Most people ignored him.

As they made their way out to the front of the hotel about half an hour later Emma blinked in surprise. Standing there were not the usual people carriers, or even mini-buses, but the carriages they used during filming. It must be for some publicity shots, she thought to herself.

They all piled in and the carriages moved off. Emma had to smile; she knew they were meant to be pulled by "Thestrals" but these were obviously electric as there was no noise. Actually, it was a rather nice way to travel.

-o0o-

The carriages rolled through a set of cast iron gates, and Emma could see a castle in the distance.

'Wow! Look guys, it's Hogwarts!' These set designers really were something; it looked almost real.

'Oh, well done,' said Rupert. 'After six years you can recognise your school. No wonder they say you're the cleverest witch of your generation.'

They pulled up in front of the main entrance, where Dame Maggie Smith was already in costume and waiting for them. 'Good morning. I hope you slept well. We will be checking that everything thing is in order. Sixth year transfiguration, you may as well come with me now and we'll get started.'

Emma followed with Dan, Rupert and some of the others. They were talking to each other about homework and the spell they were working on at the moment. She sighed. The Director, David Yates, must have sprung an improvisation session on them; he occasionally did that to keep them "IC" or "in-character". He must have announced it last night, but she'd not received the message having got back so late.

When they got to the "classroom", some of the other were already inside. Tom Felton was sat with Jamie Waylett and Joshua Herdman, as Malfoy and his gang always did. She smiled at them 'Good Morning, this should be fun!'

'How dare you talk to me, you filthy little mudblood?' snarled back Tom. _He was IC already_, she thought.

So was Rupert, apparently, who lunged at Tom. Dan dragged him away. 'Don't be stupid, Ron, not in here.'

'Potter! Weasley! Why are you not at your desks?' "McGonagall's" voice rang through the room.

'Just getting there, Professor,' called back Dan.

Emma sat looking at Maggie in wonderment. One of the best things about her job was being able to work alongside some of the best actors and actresses in THE WORLD, and to receive all these Masterclasses. She even got paid for it!

Maggie was on top form today. She spoke for a full five minutes on "Cross Species Transfiguration" without once hesitating or referring to any notes. It all sounded so convincing as well, as if she really meant it. Superb! And that accent never once faltered. Emma knew Maggie actually had quite a strong London accent in real life, but when playing McGonagall it was pure Edinburgh.

'So, what is one of the precautions you must ensure whilst making the switch?' she asked.

The room went silent, and Emma felt eyes upon her. She winced; she was Hermione Granger, her hand should be in the air by now. Up it shot. 'Miss Granger?'

'DNA cross-contamination, Professor?' That wasn't bad!

Maggie looked at her over the top of her glasses. 'I hardly think so, Miss Granger. Anyone else?'

Tom put his hand up. 'Correct pronunciation,' he drawled, in his oily Malfoy voice.

'Correct, Mr Malfoy.' Maggie shot a glance at Emma. 'One point to Slytherin.'

It was down hill from there. Maggie asked five more questions, and each time Emma's hand shot up. Each time Maggie shook her head, and the rest of the room groaned; some even tittered.

Was this a set-up? One of those things that would appear on "You've been framed" at Christmas? Emma was starting to get a little fed up.

'Miss Granger, I honestly don't know what has got into you today. In future, I suggest you read up in advance, as Mr Malfoy clearly has, and you normally do.' Tom smirked at Emma, and she gave him a finger.

'Now' said Maggie, 'perhaps you will do better in the practical session. One from each pair to the front of the class to collect your rabbit.'

Emma had been sitting next to Rupert, and he went up returning with a real, live rabbit. She scowled; they didn't normally have live animals for something like this because of all the rules. Rupert put the rabbit on the table, and looked at her hopefully. 'OK, what now?' She sat there staring blankly, until Maggie's voice rang out again.

'Miss Granger, where is your wand?'

She'd definitely had enough. 'I haven't been down to "props" yet! Of course, no-one bothered to leave me a note last night saying what was going on today so I haven't got one.'

'Are you telling me you are wandless? Miss Granger, how can you be so foolish, and at a time like this? After all the warnings Professor Dumbledore has given…'

She could see Tom grinning at her, and that was the final straw. She looked him square in the eye. 'Oh, sod off!'

'MISS _GRANGER_! Never have I heard such a thing! Ten points from Gryffindor and see me after the lesson to arrange your detention!' All of the "Slytherins" were in hysterics.

Emma pulled herself back IC. 'I'm sorry, Professor, honestly I am.'

Rupert gave Dan a look that clearly said, 'Why did I get her today?'

To her he said, 'Come on, let's get on with it.' He waved his wand and said _'Transfiguro pullus'. _A chicken stood on the table.

Emma laughed. 'Wow! OK, how did you do that? Is there a trap door in the desk?'

Rupert goggled at her. 'Come on, Hermione; pull yourself together, will you?'

'Sorry, "Ron", but come on, how did you do it?'

She tapped on the desk; there was no trapdoor. She became aware of a background clucking noise. Looking around the room, she saw a chicken on every desk. She looked at Rupert, and he saw the blood drain from her face.

There was a "thud" as she fainted and hit the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

People, I had 60 hits on the first chapter, and ONE review. Now, I know Thumper's mother said "If you can't say someting nice, don't say anything", but a bit of feedback doesn't come amiss.

If it's that bad, tell me and I'll stop wasting everyone's time.

* * *

Emma came round to find herself lying on a bed covered in cool lined sheets

Emma came round to find herself lying on a bed covered in cool linen sheets. She could hear voices around her but kept her eyes shut until she felt settled. She thought she could remember what had happened this morning, and still tried to rationalise it as an acting exercise that had gone wrong.

She opened her eyes to find Maggie and Gemma Jones, dressed as Madame Pomfrey, looking at her.

'Good, you're back Miss Granger' said Gemma, kindly. 'I suppose you skipped breakfast this morning? How many times to I have to tell you girls that a good breakfast is more important than …'

'Oh please stop. I still don't feel great. Anyway, I did have breakfast.'

'Of course' said Maggie, slowly 'there are other reasons girls occasionally pass out.'

'She isn't, I checked' said Gemma, briskly. 'I doubted that would be the case here anyway, not this one.' She looked back to the girl. 'You've been given the all clear. Mr Potter is here and will look after you. I recommend you miss lessons for the rest of the morning, and this afternoon if you wish. Make sure you eat a good lunch.'

'Thank you, I'll do that.' She was still a pro. She looked round to see Dan staring at her and crossed over to him. 'Hi! Can we just go somewhere quiet for a while?'

He studied her closely then said, in an overly casual way 'Fine. We'll head back to the Common Room, shall we?' She nodded.

He led her down corridors and around corners. Emma was just thinking how big this new set was when, as they passed an empty room, Dan suddenly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her inside, slamming her against a wall.

'What the bloody hell are you doing?' she yelled, but found a stick pointing at her face.

'What have you done with her? Where is she?'

'What?'

He grabbed her arm roughly and shook her. 'Tell me! I'll hurt you if I have to, and if you've harmed her I'll kill you!'

She screamed, and heard the door bang open and saw Maggie stride in.

'Mr Potter! What on Earth…?' There was another bang and the stick flew out of his hand.

'She's an impostor, Professor. This isn't Hermione!'

'Don't be ridiculous.'

'She is! You saw the way she was acting this morning, and she agreed to miss lessons; Hermione would never do that. Then I said I'd take her back to the Common Room. She didn't know it was out of use, and didn't ask where we were going when I took her the wrong way. It must be Polyjuice; I didn't think they'd be stupid enough to try that again.'

Emma's head was spinning. What the hell was going on here? Now Maggie was pointing a stick at her.

'Who are you?'

'Oh pack it in will you? I'm feeling crap. Just leave me alone!'

'Pick up your wand, Potter. We'll take our "guest" to see the Headmaster.' McGonagall turned to Emma. 'There will be two wands pointing at your back, so I would suggest you do not try anything stupid.'

'Oh, please do' said Harry. 'Just give me the excuse.'

'I'm calling my agent! I don't know what's going on here, but I'm getting sick of it. Where's David? I want to see David NOW!' She actually stamped her foot.

'Just move.' With that she was shoved out of the door and marched down the corridor, Harry gripping her arm and dragging her along. Eventually they came to a gargoyle. 'Sherbert Lemons!'

-o0o-

The door swung open and a revolving spiral staircase was revealed. She was pushed on to it and at the top was taken through a door into a room that looked surprisingly similar. There, behind a desk and dressed as Albus Dumbledore sat…Richard Harris. She felt her knees buckle, and it was lucky she was pushed into a chair at that point.

He looked up. 'Minerva? Is something the matter?'

'We think we may have an impostor, Albus. Potter realised it.'

The Headmaster came round from his desk and looked at Emma. 'Well?'

'But…but…no, you're…dead!'

'Obviously not, or has your plan gone somewhat awry? Who are you?'

'Look', said Emma, 'I don't know what's going on here, but I'm getting sick of it. It's all gone too far and I want some proper medical attention. Now!'

'I will ask you once more, who are you? What is your real name?'

'You know who I am! You all do! Now tell me what's going on!'

'You can choose to assist us, or you can be forced. What is your name? '

Emma folded her arms across her chest. 'Alright, I'll play your stupid games, but I'm telling you I'm going to kick up a stink about this to David.' She huffed, 'I'm Hermione Granger, 6th Year Gryffindor.'

'Your real name.' His eyes suddenly darkened, and for some reason she felt afraid.

'Emma Watson.'

'Thank you. You are not known to me. Who are you?'

'What's happening, please?' Emma's voice had suddenly become very small, and she could feel herself shaking.

'Tell me who you are, Emma Watson.'

'I'm…an actress. I appear in films about Harry Potter. I play Hermione Granger.'

There was a moment's silence, and then all hell broke loose. 'She's what?' 'Come on, Professor! Let me have a go, what have they done with Hermione?'

'SILENCE!' The old man looked back at the girl, as if considering her. 'An actress, you say? Well, that is easy enough.' He moved over to a desk, returning with a large stone bowl. 'Do you recognise this?'

She felt herself nodding. 'It's a pensieve.'

'A pensift. But close enough. You know what it does?'

'It allows you to see people's memories. Please, what's happening? Is all this real?'

'Ah, reality. Why do people always want to know what reality is? I should soon be able to answer all our questions. May I?' He held up his wand and put it to her head. 'This will not hurt you.'

Emma felt a strange sensation, it was rather like having dental floss used inside her head, but it did not hurt. The fine silvery thread was placed into the pensift where it swirled and glowed.

'Now, Harry, would you care to join me? This could be very interesting. Minerva, will you look after our visitor?'

With that the two men dipped their faces into the bowl.

-o0o-

They arrived in the middle of a very large crowd indeed, most appeared to be children and teenagers who were making a terrific din. Despite the number of people pressing in on them, Harry and Dumbledore made their way to the front quite easily. There they came upon some metal barriers which separated the crowd from a carpeted walkway.

To their right was a large group of men, all holding cameras, which were flashing away on a regular basis. Harry suddenly grabbed Dumbledore's arm.

'Professor, look! There's Hermione!' It was Hermione as he had never seen her before, though. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that was very off the shoulder, and above her knees. She actually had rather high heeled shoes on. All around the crowd were shouting out 'Emma!' and the cameras flashed even harder than before. She was smiling and waving and looked quite stunning.

'I think that is our visitor, Harry. And look, here you come!'

Harry had to look twice. It was a strange sensation to see yourself walking towards you, albeit not wearing glasses – and without a scar. Harry thought he looked quite fetching in a dark suit and blue tie. His hair wasn't sticking up either. The girls in the crowd were screaming now, and Harry felt himself blush.

'Where are we, Professor?'

'I think, Harry, it is Leicester Square in London, at one of the films she was talking about. Look.' He directed Harry's gaze to the front on the huge building next to them. There, bathed in floodlights he could easily see:

LONDON WELCOMES THE WORLD TO THE PREMIERE OF

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHEONIX

Underneath they could see, in only slightly smaller writing, the one name they recognised – Emma Watson.

'We have seen enough' said Dumbledore, 'let us return.'

-o0o-

Emma was sat by Harry, clasping a cup of tea, whilst the people she now knew to be Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall conferred in the far corner of his office. She still felt stunned and disorientated.

'So, you're really Harry Potter?'

'That's my name. I'm not too sure about the "really" bit. I'm just a figment of somebody's imagination, aren't I?'

'What's real? I don't know anymore. You're here, living and breathing. Unless I'm dreaming it all, and I don't think I am.'

'And you're an actress, and really famous. What's that like?'

'You're famous, too.'

'I don't get girls screaming at me in the street, though. Unfortunately.'

They both smiled. 'It's fun, and I get invited to lots of nice things and travel a lot. I still go to my old school, though, and I've got real friends there. That's important to me. I'm still just Emma.'

'Yeah, I'm still just Harry, despite everything.' He was silent for a while, trying to organise his next sentence. 'How does it…Do you…What's the end of the story?'

She reached out and squeezed his hand. 'You come through it. You kill Voldemort.'

He looked at her in wonderment. 'I do?' Then his face fell. 'That's the end, no more?'

'No, the story carries on. You…you marry Ginny, and you have children, three of them; James, Albus and Lily.'

His eyes suddenly became very bright and he had to look away. 'I have a family? I'm happy? What about you…Hermione and Ron?'

She smiled now. 'They get married, to each other. A girl, Rose, and a boy, Hugo' she answered his question before he asked it. 'We…' she laughed 'You all seem to be happy at the end. The final words are "All was well".'

He looked away and sighed. 'Where do you think she is?'

'She's probably where I should be, making a film. You miss her, don't you?'

He nodded. 'I sort of need her around. She's like …I don't know.'

'Your rock?'

'Yeah, that's it. I can depend on her, she looks after me. She's the real hero, not me.'

'I know. She'll be alright; she's smart. I wish I could meet her, I'd like that. She's probably better off than me at the moment. I don't know anything about your world, not really, and I can't do magic. At least she's in the Muggle world.'

Harry looked at her. 'The what?'

'Muggle. Isn't that what you call non-magical people?'

'Mubblul. That's where "mudblood" came from, I suppose. I just hope she's OK.'


	3. Chapter 3

They went to the front of the hotel, and Hermione did a double take. A rather impressive people carrier was waiting for them, along with the young lady from earlier. 'In we get!' she said brightly. Ron grinned at her.

Hermione pushed Ron into one of the spare seats, next to her and well away from Little Miss Wonderful, and wondered why he wasn't excited about travelling by car, even allowing for the distraction. She also wondered where the carriages were; perhaps they weren't worth sending for just the three of them, and Dumbledore had decided to embrace the Twentieth Century.

The car moved swiftly and smoothly along the road, and Hermione sat thinking about the day ahead. Transfiguration first thing, which she was looking forward to as they were starting on Cross Species Spells. She had already studied the subject in-depth, in theory anyway, and felt confident she could answer any questions thrown at her. Then Charms, and Potions after lunch. The final period was free, so she could get to the library and finish off some homework before dinner. All in all, not bad.

Her mind was pulled back to the present by a rather strange conversation. Harry and Ron were talking about _football_, of all things. Harry was expressing his confidence that Fulham could "avoid the drop", whilst Ron thought that "Spurs were definitely in Europe next year". Maybe Dean's West Ham poster was finally having an effect.

The car rolled through a set of cast iron gates and approached an old house. Surrounding it were some mobile offices and lorries, and there were quite a few people milling about. Electricity cables were strewn all over the floor.

'Where are we? What are we doing here?' asked Hermione, confused.

Harry shrugged. 'We're using the Library. It's supposed to be perfect for what we're after.'

Hermione nodded. Obviously Dumbledore wanted them to do some important research for him and lessons would have to wait. These people must all be working for The Order. The car rolled to a halt and they got out; Harry and Ron headed for one of the portable rooms and she followed them. They looked at her strangely.

'Where are you going?' asked Ron.

'With you.'

'Der' he said. 'This is "Boys"' he said, pointing to a sign, then pointing to another room '"Girls" is over there. Pervy!'

She blushed. Fancy trying to follow them into the boy's toilets! She headed for the "Girls" room.

Miss Wonderful approached her, consulting a clipboard. 'Right! Great!' she said, showing a mouthful of very white teeth. 'You only need a basic, so it shouldn't take long. So I'll see you in a few minutes. Great!' She walked off, ticking things.

Hermione stood there still confused. "Basic" what? The door opened and a motherly woman poked her head out. 'We're ready for you.' Hermione went inside cautiously. Chairs were placed in front of large mirrors which were surrounded by lights. There were pots and jars and brushes all over the place.

'Sit yourself down, dear' said the motherly woman. 'and I'll get you done. You've done your hair already, I see, that's fine.' She approached Hermione holding what looked like a large sheet.

'What are you doing?'

'Just covering you up so I can do you. We don't want a mess, do we?'

Hermione started; something was wrong and she whipped out her wand. 'Stay away from me! Who are you?'

The woman stopped smiling. 'Look, I don't have a lot of time; it's in both our interests to make this quick.' She held up the make-up wrap and walked towards Hermione.

'_Expelliarmus_!' The wrap flew out of the woman's hands, and she looked stunned.

'What are you playing at? Sit down and let me do you, I don't have time for this. I've got to deal with the other two as well. If I haven't finished you all off by half past I'm as good as dead. Now…'

Hermione threw a curse at her, which missed. A large jug exploded as it took the hit. The woman screamed and run out, shouting 'I'm getting some help. You're in trouble now, I don't care who you think you are!'

Hermione acted quickly, locking the door. She knew the building wouldn't hold up for long, but it would give her a few seconds. They must have walked into a nest of Death Eaters; perhaps the plan had been leaked. She had to get to Harry and Ron. She spotted the window and headed for it.

-o0o-

The smile had finally fallen from Miss Wonderful's face. 'Errm…hello? Miss Watson? Emma? Can I come in, please?' There was no reply and the door was locked. She looked in through the window and saw the room was empty. Even worse, David Yates was walking towards her.

'We're ready to go, Alyssia. All set?'

'Teensey weensey little problem-ette, Mr Yates. Miss Watson appears, and I do emphasis "appears", to have…well, run off.' She looked tense, and added in a whisper 'After attacking the make-up artist.'

'WHAT? What do you mean? Where's she gone?'

'We…umm…don't know, as such.'

'"Never work with children and animals". They all told me. Find her! Where are Dan and Rupert?'

What a start! This place cost a fortune a day to hire, and they couldn't afford any slips to the schedule. He didn't need one of his key players to get all moody on him. He groaned; she was still seventeen, so they'd have to tell the Welfare Officer. Then he groaned again and put his head in his hands. Jo Rowling was making a visit to the set; she'd be here at half past. Emigration suddenly sounded attractive.

Dan and Rupert walked over to him. 'We set, then?'

'No, we're not. Your little friend has done a runner.' They goggled at him. 'Was she alright on the way in?' They shrugged. 'Look, do me a favour, will you, have a scout round?'

Dan struck a dramatic pose. 'Perhaps she's been kidnapped by Death Eaters. This is a case for…dum dum duuummm…HARRY POTTER! Fetch me my broomstick!' The boys laughed.

'Just go!'

-o0o-

Hermione crouched behind a pile of boxes, trying to think. She could apparate to Hogwarts, but by the time she found Dumbledore and they got back here it might be too late. That woman had said "by half past"; maybe that was when the main attack was coming in. She had to try and get to Harry and Ron, and then they could warn the others.

She crept from cover to cover, always checking ahead. Suddenly she saw the two of the walking towards her, chatting away. They obviously didn't know anything.

'Harry! Ron!' she hissed as loud as she dared. They heard her and looked round. 'Over here, behind the crates. Get here, quickly!' They came over to her, cautiously. 'Quick! Get under cover.' She dragged them in beside her.

'What's up, Em?' asked Rupert.

'I was attacked by a Death Eater, but I managed to get away. She said others were going to be here at half past. What do we do?'

The boys looked at each other, slightly frightened. Something was obviously wrong with Emma, but they didn't know how to handle it.

'Come with us' said Dan.

'Where are we going?'

'To see the head man.'

'Is he safe? Can we trust him? How do you know he isn't a Death Eater too?'

Dan looked at Rupert; he was definitely scared now. Emma seemed to have had some kind of breakdown. He wasn't sure if he should be humouring her; but what else could he do? 'He's safe. Dumbledore sent him to look after us.'

'Let's go then; we haven't got much time.'

-o0o-

David Yates listened to "Hermione's" story with an increasing sense of alarm. Obviously she'd been working too hard, and something had pushed her over the edge. He indicated the door with his head to Dan and Rupert.

'We're just going to warn the others. You stay in here.' He wasn't sure that was the right thing to do either. Outside he turned to them. 'Obviously we won't be working today. I'll have to get a doctor in here.'

'What's wrong with her?' asked Rupert. They'd been friends now for years, and he was concerned for her.

'I don't know, but I have to get her checked out.' Just then he saw a large car sweeping up to them. Damn!

Joanne Rowling loved visiting her creation on location, and catching up with the youngsters she had helped to turn into International stars. They were fantastic kids, and she felt very protective towards them.

'David! Dan! Rupert! How are you all? Where's Emma?'

'Jo, hello. We have a problem.' David quickly explained what had happened. Jo Rowling looked on in horror. 'You get on well with her, would you mind having a chat, to see if you can get through to her?'

'Of course not. Oh, the poor girl.' They all went back inside.

'Hello!' said Jo, smiling warmly.

'Hello', said Hermione, cautiously. 'Are we ready to face them?'

Jo was shocked, but tried to hide it. 'I don't think we've been introduced' she said carefully.

'I'm Hermione Granger, and you?'

'Joanne Rowling. A few people call me JK.'

'JK? Has Dumbledore sent you here?' There was silence in the room.

'Hermione, obviously I need to check who you are.' Hermione nodded, it was the usual precaution these days. 'What's your date of birth?'

'The 19th of September, 1979'

'What's your wand made of?'

'Vine wood and dragon heartstring.'

'Ok, what's your home address?'

'Why? Do you think you'll have to get my parents out?'

'Better to be safe than sorry.'

'14 Gonville Close, Chilworth. But they'll be in their surgery by now. They're both mubblul dentists, you know.'

'Where's that?'

'The Grange Surgery, 126 Parkview Road, Guildford.'

'If you'll excuse us a moment?'

Jo and David went outside with Dan and Rupert. 'It's bad, isn't it? She answered all my questions.'

'Of course she did' said David. 'She's been living and breathing this role since she was eleven.'

'David, she answered questions she shouldn't have done. I've never put any of her home details in any of the books. The trouble is she's right. I've got full biographies of everybody. She does live in Chilworth; it's a small place not far from Guildford, where her parents have their surgery – at that address. Those biographies are under lock and key. Nobody sees them; the press would kill to get hold of them.'

Rupert laughed a little strangely. 'Are you saying that's actually _Hermione Granger_ in there? Are we on "Game for a laugh" or something?'

'I don't know what I'm saying.'

'Look, no-one's asked her the obvious question, have they? Come on, and leave the talking to me.'

They all went back inside.

'Hermione' said Rupert, 'they're still having trouble proving it's you.' His eyes swept around the room, and he spotted a teapot. 'Can you turn that into a tortoise for them?'

She glared at him. 'Oh, thank you, Ronald. Just show me up in front of these people, why don't you? You know I've never mastered that one properly.'

'Just do it, eh?'

Hermione waved her wand and said '_Transfiguro testudo'_. Sure enough, it did look just slightly more like a turtle. 'Happy now?'

There was a thud as David Yates fainted and fell to the floor.

'Hermione' said Rupert, 'we need to talk.'


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione sat on the rather sagging sofa staring at the floor. Even her phenomenal intelligence had trouble coping with a concept that was – impossible.

'So all this time, all this suffering, there was nothing we could have done to change it?' She looked at Jo Rowling. 'Cedric Dickory, Sirius – just a stroke of a quill? You could have done anything, but you chose to kill them?'

'I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't know. It was a plot device; I had to show how evil Voldemort is, how he kills without feeling. That's why he has to be destroyed. I was just writing a story; I never thought it would happen for real.'

'Real?' Hermione laughed harshly. 'You're telling me I'm real? What else have you got planned for us? How does the story end?'

'You win; you live happily ever after.'

'All of us?'

'No, not all. It's a war.' Jo looked away. The words came back to her; "Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Colin Creevey and fifty others who died fighting him." Why fifty? Why not twenty? Or none?

'Ron?'

'He lives. You end up marrying him, and you have children. Rose and Hugo.'

'I like Rose; it's my favourite name. But you know that, don't you?'

They lapsed into silence, until Ron spoke.

'Hermione, what did you call him? Cedric, I mean.'

'Dickory. Cedric Dickory; he was killed' she flashed a look at Jo 'at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.'

Rupert sat there thoughtfully for a moment, trying to remember. 'And your parents? How did you describe them?'

'Dentists.'

'You said something else about them.'

'What, that they're mubbluls? So?'

'Just a slight difference, that's all. Here, he was Cedric Diggory, and they're muggles. What I can't work out is how you got here. That wasn't in the books, either.'

Hermione shrugged. 'I went to sleep in the hotel, and woke up this morning. The room looked exactly the same, and so did you two. Well, I did wonder why Harry didn't have his glasses on.'

'What hotel? There's no hotel.'

'We had to move out for a few days after the fire in the Common Room. It damaged some of the dorms so the 6th and 7th years moved into a hotel whilst its being put right.'

'A fire?'

'Yes. You should have seen Katie Bell; she was really good at getting us organised to fight it. They say that Roddy Jackman did well in the boy's tower, too.'

'Who?'

'Year above us. You must know him. Tall. Very dark hair worn long.'

'Apart from Cormac McClaggen, I didn't name any Gryffindor boys in the year up' said Jo. 'There wasn't space in the books.'

'See! You aren't just living the books' said Rupert. 'There are changes; subtle, it's true, but differences. That must mean there's no guarantee Harry's going to win.' He got up and walked around, thinking, before sitting down next to her. 'We have to get you back, so you can help him. Whatever happened to create your world, it isn't just a clone. You're important.'

'I want to go back.' Hermione's eyes glazed, just a little. 'I know I'm important to Harry, but there's Ron as well.' She fished out her hanky and wiped her eyes. 'I'm missing Ron.'

Rupert put a friendly arm around her shoulder. 'I bet in your world Ron's considered really good looking and strong, isn't he?'

'No. He's just like you, but I still love him.' She buried her head in his shoulder and hugged him. Dan knew it wasn't funny, but still had to pretend to have a coughing fit. Rupert glared at him.

'I feel so alone' said Hermione, still trying not to cry.

'Hey, we're here; we'll look after you' said Rupert, hugging her back.

'Why do you think these differences are important, Rupert?' Jo asked, mainly to change the subject.

'I don't know, but I'm sure they are.'

-o0o-

'Miss Watson, do you have any memory of getting here?' Dumbledore and McGonagall had finished their conference and come back to her and Harry.

'None at all. I was late getting back to the hotel last night and went straight to sleep. When I woke up this morning it was the same room except the phone was missing. Everything else – the people, I mean – were the same.' Understanding dawned on her face. 'That's why "Jessie" was being bitchy. I was actually talking to Lavender Brown, wasn't I?' She laughed, perhaps a little hysterically. 'Brilliant! She thinks it's me who stole her boyfriend away from her!'

'Yeah, you two don't exactly hit it off' said Harry. 'Mind you, it'd probably help if you didn't keep giggling every time you ask her how Ron is. I keep telling you to stop it.'

'Do I? Does she? That doesn't sound like Hermione! Mind you, the books don't say much about it. What a cow!'

'ANYWAY' said McGonagall, 'as fascinated as I am by the love lives of my students, can we please concentrate? Miss Watson, which hotel is this?'

'The one we came from this morning. It looks just like the one I'm staying in on location. Do you think we…this sounds so weird…managed to…apparate in our sleep?'

Dumbledore looked at her curiously. 'Can you apparate?'

'Of course not, nobody can.'

He handed her his wand. 'Would you like to try some magic?'

She took it cautiously, as if it would bite her. 'This is the Elder Wand, isn't it?'

McGonagall snorted, but Dumbledore said sharply 'How do you know that?'

'It's all in the final book.'

'Is it really, Albus? The Elder Wand?' said McGonagall who looked quite shocked. 'You never told me.'

'I've never told anybody, for obvious reasons. Miss Watson, please, you know a great deal that is important to us, obviously, but I would appreciate it if you took care in what you say.'

'But wouldn't it help you to know what happens? I could tell you where the…things you're looking for are.'

'No, it would not help. Indeed, it may well make things worse. You are, to all intents and purposes, a time traveller. We dare not play with time. If something IS going to happen in our future – which is your past – we must let it happen.'

Emma nodded. That seemed to make sense, sort of. 'Shall I try a spell then?' She pointed her wand at a cushion, feeling slightly foolish. 'Wing-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa.' Although not surprised, she still felt some disappointed that nothing had happened.

'I doubt it was apparition, then' said Dumbledore kindly, taking his wand back.

'What about a worm hole?'

'A what?'

'A…worm hole. It's a sort of ..thingummy – in space, or time. Maybe space-time?' Emma sounded doubtful; she'd only ever seen them in sci-fi films.

'Well, that's cracked it, then' said Harry, clapping his hands together. 'Good job we've got an expert in the room.' Emma glared at him and he laughed. 'Are you sure you aren't Hermione? I'd recognise that look anywhere.'

-o0o-

Dan, Rupert and Hermione headed back to the hotel with Jo in her car; she normally booked a room at the same place as the cast so that she could have a chance to talk to them. The set was emptying as people headed off; it had been announced that filming was suspended for the day due to David Yates' bout of illness, which he would recover from quickly.

Once they got back, Rupert offered to show Hermione to her – well, Emma's – room. As they made their way along the corridor, Jessie appeared in front of them.

'Hi! Had a good day? You finished nice and early.'

Rupert explained about the cancellation, and they chatted pleasantly for a few moments. 'Right, see you at dinner this evening?'

He turned to see Hermione leaning against the wall with her arms folded, and a frown on her face.

'What were you talking to _her_ for?'

'Hermione that was Jessie. She's an actress, playing a role. So am I; I'm Rupert, not Ron.'

Hermione's shoulders slumped. 'I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. It's so hard; you all look like you're supposed to.'

Ron's head snapped up. 'Hang on, how did you recognise her?'

'We've shared a dormitory for nearly six years. And, if you remember, we have just had a bit of a contretemps.'

'Has she always looked like that?'

'No, she used to have three heads.'

'No! What I mean is; she only joined us a few months ago. That's weird.' He shook his head. 'I'm sure I'm missing something. Anyway, I'm off for a shower. Shall I come and get you when it's time for dinner?'

'I…I don't know. Maybe I won't go down. They'll all think they know me; it could get awkward. You go.'

Rupert smiled in understanding. 'I'll tell you what; let me see if I can get a private dining room. We'll ask Dan and Jo if they want to join us and maybe David, if he's back.'

Hermione smiled. 'That might be better. Thank you, you're very sweet.' She gave him a peck on the cheek. 'I'll see you later.'

Rupert walked slowly off down the corridor. 'You're not Ron, and this isn't Hogwarts' he said to himself.

It was strange for Hermione to go into the room, even though it was the one she'd left this morning. She wondered just how alike her _alter ego_ was, or was it the other way around? She couldn't resist looking in the wardrobe. The dresses stunned her; they were gorgeous, and looked very expensive. Even the jeans were a much better standard than the ones she had. And the make-up! More than Lavender!

There were a few glossy magazines on the table, so she sat on the bed to flick through them. She found some pictures of "herself" inside, and gasped. Emma Watson at a party, at an opening, at an event. She stared hard at her. The make-up was perfect, the clothes divine. Even the hair…

'She doesn't look much like a bookworm. This could be me, though. Could I learn to play myself in a film? Could I learn to be her?' She threw the magazine aside. 'Without Ron or my parents?' She lay back on the bed, and sighed. 'He's Rupert, an actor.'

-o0o-

Harry and Emma made their way out from Dumbledore's office, and walked straight into Ron.

'I've been searching everywhere; Madame Pomfrey said she'd let you go. Are you alright, Hermione?'

'Ron' said Harry, 'I'm taking her…Hermione back to the hotel. Dumbledore's sending a carriage round to the front. You'd better come with us.'

'Great! That means we get to miss potions!'

As the carriage pulled them along, Harry explained to a totally stunned Ron Weasley what had happened in Dumbledore's office. He said 'But…but…' quite a lot.

He was still saying 'But…but…' when they got back to Harry's room.

'Ron, will you shut up and focus! We're going to have to think what to do. Dumbledore and McGonagall were stumped, but we need some way of protecting her until it's sorted out.'

'I don't think we should go down to dinner tonight' said Ron. 'Everyone will want to know what's happened; maybe we should get some food sent up here.'

They all decided that was a good plan, and decided to go and get changed. Emma went into the room, and was curious about the girl she had grown up with. She looked around her; noticing the differences. Books, of course, which she flicked through but could make no sense of. Clothes – good quality, but from chain stores and quite unadventurous. Make-up, just a few basics. It was the room of a quiet, bookish student.

Emma sat on the bed. What if this became her life, if she couldn't get back? But it couldn't be; she couldn't fit into this world. Here, she had nothing. She couldn't just pretend to be Hermione, to carry on playing the role; her attempt with the wand today had shown her that. She was already missing her family, and a tear rolled down her face as the enormity of her predicament hit her.

She searched around for some clue as to how she had got here, but found nothing. She even checked the back of the wardrobe, then realised what she was doing. 'You're cracking up girl, different book.'


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione thought she really should dress for dinner; she couldn't go along in a school uniform. She found a classic "little black dress" with strap shoulders that she immediately fell in love with, and decided that Emma honestly wouldn't mind.

An hour later she looked at herself in the mirror, and was impressed. She'd styled her hair into a coil, and used some of the make up. Her dress was coupled with black tights and black shoes that had a slightly higher heel than she was used to. She had to smile at the overall image, it looked very…sophisticated.

It's not that she never dressed up; but there was no point at Hogwarts, and she seldom went anywhere when she was at home. She could never wear anything like this at The Burrow; Fred and George would take the mickey something terrible.

She practised walking up and down in her new shoes until she was confident that she wouldn't fall over, and then sat down to wait for Rupert to call. To pass the time, she went back over the magazines. Apparently, Emma was worth over £10 million! That was nearly 2 million Galleons! Hermione – well, her parents – were comfortably well off and middle class, but that sum of money astounded her. 'Just for being me! I got something wrong somewhere, and I'm supposed to be the intelligent one.'

Shortly before eight o'clock, there was a knock on the door. When she opened it Rupert stood there, his mouth slowly dropping open. 'Umm…I didn't expect that.'

'What do you think?'

'If I told you, you'd probably slap me!'

She smiled. 'You don't look so bad, yourself.' Rupert was dressed in what could best be described as "designer casual chic"; clothes that probably cost a fortune but looked as if they'd been bought in a charity shop and never put on a hanger. It was actually very similar to what Ron would wear, only his probably were second hand.

He made a big play of offering her his arm, which she took with an exaggerated 'Thank you, kind Sir!', and they walked along the corridor, talking of not much in particular.

Dinner was much better than they thought it would be. David and Jo worked really hard to make sure the youngsters weren't dwelling on their problems – too much.

Jo told Hermione all about how the books had come about, when her train had been delayed, and how the first one was written in a café because she was very hard up at the time and it saved on heating bills.

David regaled them all with stories of his life in show business, and the actors he'd worked with; Bill Nighy, David Suchet and Jim Broadbent. He looked at Hermione and laughed 'Or, Professor Slughorn to you!'

Of course, inevitably, the conversation eventually turned to how Hermione had ended up here.

'I think it was a worm-hole' said Rupert.

'Pardon?' said several voices at once, including Hermione's.

'A worm-hole. It's like a short-cut through space or time.'

'Are you drunk?' asked Dan.

'No, honest! They're valid according to the Theory of General Relativity.'

'He often goes off like this' said Dan, looking at Hermione and winking. 'We tend to ignore him.'

'I don't understand it, though' said Hermione turning to Rupert. 'Can you explain it?'

Rupert picked up an apple from the table. 'Ok, we tend to think of space as being flat, yeah?' She nodded. 'But what if it was curved, like the skin on this apple? If a worm – which is what Americans called caterpillars – wanted to get from one side to the other, it could either go the long way on the outside, or straight through the middle. So, a worm-hole connects two points by the shortest route, even if it doesn't appear to be the shortest to us. Understand?'

'Yes', said Hermione. 'That's clear enough, except for one thing. I'm not from your space. So how does that work?'

The other three looked impressed. They'd understood about a quarter of what Rupert had said, but Hermione was known to be fiercely intelligent.

'Ah!' said Rupert. 'I've been talking about an intra-universe worm-hole. That just stays in our world and crosses space or time. But, if you can cross spacetime, there's no reason why you can't get a Schwarzschild wormhole that actually connects parallel universes.'

Dan, Jo and David had drifted away by now, and were talking about filming schedules.

'Do you think that's what happened?' asked Hermione in amazement.

'It's all theoretical, of course, but I can't think of another explanation. It can't be "magic" because nobody in our world can do it, and your world doesn't know we exist. What fascinates me is that the two ends of the worm-hole ended up connecting you to Emma. The probability of that happening…'

Hermione thought for a moment. 'I'm not sure. I think it's very likely. It's almost like one of us acted as a lightening conductor. Once the hole formed, it needed somewhere to ground so it found one of us as the "opposite pole". The thing is, will it ever open up again?'

'If it doesn't, you're both stuck' said Rupert, sadly. 'I can't see her coping in your world, can you?'

'Not without magic.'

-o0o-

Emma brushed her hair, and put on a cotton summer frock and a pair of sandals. There were various ribbons in one of the drawers, and she decided to tie her hair back. She didn't bother with any make-up; Hermione's was fairly cheap and just a bit…tacky. It was the sort of stuff girls bought when they were twelve and didn't know what they were doing, and didn't have top designers and artists to tell them where they were going wrong.

She walked along the corridor and knocked on Harry's door. He'd changed into jeans and a sweatshirt; Ron arrived a few moments later dressed very similarly. They started talking about Quidditch and Emma laughed.

'This is so weird! It's just like watching one of the films.'

A rather decrepit old waiter old waiter eventually appeared pushing a trolley. He served them braised steaks with boiled potatoes, peas and carrots. For deserts there were treacle tarts and custard. Emma didn't eat much.

'Not hungry?' asked Harry, spearing a potato that was going spare on her plate.

'How comes Hermione isn't the size of a house if she eats this every day?'

'She's like you' replied Ron. 'Doesn't eat enough to keep a sparrow alive, my mum reckons.'

'I'd like to meet your mum. In the books she's really nice, all your family is.'

'Mum's great' said Ron. 'Dad can go off on one occasionally, and once he gets started there's no stopping him. I sometimes wonder how she puts up with it; must be love, I suppose.' Emma smiled; another difference.

She looked around the room. 'I don't know how I'm going to ever get back.'

'We don't even know how you got here' said Harry. 'If Dumbledore doesn't know, what chance have we got? What was that you were saying earlier about worm-holes or something?'

'It's just something I've heard Rupert talking about, and you see them in sci-fi films.' There were two blank looks in front of her. 'Science fiction – space travel, that kind of thing – sometimes has them. It's a sort of way of travelling across the universe in the blink of an eye.'

'Doesn't sound possible' said Harry.

'There are time turners, though' said Ron.

'Yeah, but that's magic, and no-one in her world has it.' He turned back to her. 'So, what will you do if you can't get back? Will you stay at Hogwarts?'

She shook her head. 'There's no point, if I'm not magical.' She shook her head and looked sad. 'I suppose I'll have to leave and try to find some kind of work, in the muggle word.'

'Mubbluls' said Ron, with a sympathetic smile. 'This might sound a bit…strange, but you might have to go and see Hermione's parents. I suppose they'll have to be told at some stage, and they might feel better if they can meet you.'

'I know. She might have to do the same with my family.' Her eyes welled up, and she wiped them with her hand. 'I've got to face facts; it might come to that.' She sniffed and looked away.

Harry patted her on the shoulder. 'I'm sure Dumbledore will come up with something; he's the greatest wizard this world's ever seen.'

Emma might have found that far more comforting if this world had existed for more than a few years, but Harry was trying to be kind, so she nodded.

'I'm sure he'll do all he can. Thank you both for being so good to me. Can I ask you a favour?' The boys nodded. 'I don't really want to sleep in there tonight; would one of you mind if we swapped rooms?'

Ron said 'To be honest, I don't fancy it myself. Look, why don't Harry and I share, and you can have my room?'

'Would you mind? Oh, thank you.'

Emma went into the room and got herself a nightdress. She almost baulked at the thought of using Hermione's toothbrush, but decided it was her only option until she could get her own. That brought home to her exactly how out of her own place she was; he didn't even have a toothbrush here. Ron came along shortly afterwards and gave her his key.

'Good night, Ron, and thank you once again.'

'Good night, Emma. Sleep well, and don't worry; we'll work something out.'

She smiled at him, because he was being kind to her as well, despite losing his potential girlfriend, and walked off. Ron watched her go and shook his head. She wasn't Hermione; Hermione would be working on a solution, not worrying about the problem.

-o0o-

David Yates yawned. 'It's been a long day; I'm off to bed. We'll meet up in the morning and decide what to do next. 'Night all.'

By general agreement, they all decided to turn in. Rupert walked Hermione back to her room. She stood by the door, and he put his hand out to lean against the wall.

She looked up at him. 'I had a lovely evening. It was good of you to talk to me, and try to look out for me.'

'It's not a problem' he said. 'I know it must be hard for you, but I feel like I've known you for ages. We're part of a team.'

She reached her hand up to stroke his cheek. 'Thank you for that. You're like Ron, you know, but different. I can't imagine him talking to me about theoretical physics. I can't think of anyone I know doing that.'

They gazed into each other's eyes. By almost telepathic agreement, her arm curved around his neck and his arms were around her and they kissed long and deep. Eventually they broke apart, and she bent her forehead onto his chest.

'Thank you for that, as well' she said in a whisper.

Going into her room she shut the door and leaned back against it. Was what she'd just done so wrong? Probably no worse than sleeping with Viktor Kron, she decided.

She was as much an outsider here as she was in the magical world, in all honesty. She had no pedigree, no _right_ to be there. She needed alliances. "Make the most of what you've got" was her motto for life.

If she was to be stuck here then at least she had a foot in the door, and there were worse people to be stuck with than Rupert, who was like Ron plus. If Emma was worth that much money, he probably was as well. With £20 million they could have a good life together, if it came to it.

She headed for the bathroom. 'I'm sure Emma won't mind me using her toothbrush.'


	6. Chapter 6

Emma woke up in Ron's room the next morning, having slept surprising well

Emma woke up in Ron's room the next morning, having slept surprising well. It was only after she had stretched that yesterday flooded back to and she remembered that she was stuck in a completely different world.

She dragged herself from bed and had a shower, then sat down and wondered what she was going to do. A black depression came over her as the enormity of the problem struck her. She had no money, nowhere to go and no friends. To all intents and purposes, she didn't exist.

Deciding that doing something was better than doing nothing she stood up, put on a dress and headed for the boy's room. They were already up and dressed and ready for breakfast. She couldn't face joining them, so they promised to bring her back something to eat.

They returned about half an hour later with some bacon sandwiches and Professor McGonagall.

'I think it will be best if you stayed here today. I will say you are unwell', she said. 'Weasley and Potter can stay with you for some company. I will assume they do not object to missing lessons.'

They didn't, so settled down to catch up on some homework instead. Emma sat and watched them, and tried to understand what they were doing.

Harry was working on a Potions essay. Emma was surprised that she recognised a lot of the ingredients. 'My mum grows some of these in her garden' she said.

'Most medicines come from plants' he told her. 'We just used them in slightly different ways, that's all. Of course, some of it's different. You won't be able to get dragon's spleen in your local butchers, but apart from that they're nothing special.'

Ron wasn't finding it so easy to work. 'Hermione normally prods me along a bit' he explained.

Emma laughed. 'You mean she writes it for you!'

Ron looked a little bemused. 'Where did you get that idea from? It's all my own work, and Merlin help me if I get it wrong. It's a bit of an incentive having her breathing down your neck, I can tell you.'

There was an interruption just before lunch when Dumbledore arrived and asked if he could speak to her privately.

'We are still trying to find out how you got here, Miss Watson, and how we can get you back.' He looked very grave. 'However, we must consider the possibility that you are stranded here. Have you given the matter any thought?'

'Not really' she said, running her hand through her hair in a distracted manner. 'I've got nowhere to go, and no money to get there.' Her face crumpled a little. 'I don't even know where the train station is' she didn't want to cry, but couldn't stop herself 'and I can't stay at Hogwarts, can I? There's no point.'

'Come, come, my dear' said Dumbledore, offering her a handkerchief. 'I will admit the situation is desperate, but you are not on your own. I agree with you that Hogwarts is probably not suitable, but there are other options.

I have spoken to the Minister for Magic this morning. The Ministry will be willing to help you, if it comes to that. They can provide documents and qualifications to enable you to work in the mubblul world, and will help you to find somewhere to live.'

'But I've got no money.'

'Hogwarts has funds available, and these will be offered until you can get yourself established. I do have contacts outside the magical world, and I will do everything I can to help you find work. I have friends as well, in London for example, who would be more than happy to keep in contact and make sure you are not in need. Miss Watson, we all know this must be a terrible time for you. We shall not desert you.'

'Thank you' she managed to say, through her tears.

'Of course, at some stage we will have to inform Mr and Mrs Granger of what has happened. I think, perhaps, they may wish to meet you. I cannot promise anything, nor can I force them, but I shall certainly suggest it.'

'I'd like that.'

'Very well' he said. 'Please remember, there is no rush. You may stay here for as long as you wish, although the children will probably be returning to the school soon. I, or Professor McGonagall, shall call in on you regularly to make sure you are comfortable and have anything you need. I will say again, you are not alone.'

Dumbledore's visit did a lot for her that day. She knew now that, if the worst came to the worst, she could survive. She would have to give some thought as to what she might want to do next. She started to face the future.

-o0o-

Hermione wasn't quite sure what she felt when she awoke. She'd gone to bed more than half expecting the worm hole to open up during the night and put everything back the way it should be. She got up and knocked on Rupert's door. He opened it still bleary eyed and a little tousled.

'Hi, can I come in?' He held the door open for her and she went to sit in the armchair. He flopped onto the bed.

'Look, Rupert, about last night…'

'I know, you got a bit confused.'

'No. No, I didn't, not about who you were. I think…maybe everything that happened yesterday got to me, and I just needed a bit of comforting. I'm sorry, though; it won't happen again.'

He came to sit on the arm of the chair. 'Don't beat yourself up over it. It just happened, I think. Look, everything's up in the air at the moment, so let's just take it one day at a time, yeah?' She nodded. 'Go back to your room, I'll grab a shower, then we'll go and find David.'

They found him talking to Jo Rowling. He looked at the girl cautiously. 'I'm still Hermione' she said with a shrug, 'nothing happened last night.'

'I'm sorry' he said, simply but sincerely. 'It must be tough on you. I don't have a clue what to do next.'

Hermione shrugged again. 'Could I come and watch some filming today? It'd be better than just hanging around here, worrying.'

'The only thing planned is the scene we were meant to shoot yesterday, with Dan, Rupert and Emma.' He saw her shoulders drop a little. 'Look, you're probably right; we're better off keeping ourselves busy. How do you fancy being you for the day?'

She looked up at him. 'Can I? I know I …can't replace her, but…it will be better than doing nothing.'

'OK. Go and put your uniforms on, I'll round up Dan.'

Hermione walked back to her room, with Rupert. If she was stuck here, maybe she had a way forward. 'Make the most of what you've got.'

-o0o-

Actually being with the real Hermione was an education for them all. She was like the books, only more so. Her ability to question was phenomenal. On the way in, reading the script, she pointed out numerous factual errors.

For a start off, she didn't like the seating positions. 'When we work, Harry's always on my right and Ron on the left. You've got them the wrong way round.'

David tried to explain that Harry had to be on her left, because that put him on the right hand side of the screen, which was where people naturally tended to look. 'Harry's the star, so that's where he goes.'

She also really didn't like some of her lines. 'She's just so…passive. Trust me; if they want to work with me, they work. If they ever **dreamed** of mucking around I'd hex them into the middle of next week.'

Like many newcomers to film, she couldn't understand why everything took so long. Dan tried to explain it to her.

'It isn't just a case of saying the lines. Before we can even start they have to get the lighting right, and the sound levels. Then the angles have to be worked out so we can all be seen. Every time they change a shot, it all has to be checked again. So does the make-up and our costumes. I'll tell you the worst bit though; it's when it all goes perfectly, but they find a problem afterwards. You'll get to know and hate the phrase "hair in the gate".'

She looked at him blankly.

'It's when you literally get a hair, or a piece of fibre, between the lens and the film. It comes out as a huge great crack, and ruins the shot totally. We've had a few of those.'

Within a couple of hours, they'd already had to take her off for a walk to calm her down; the unnecessary delays – as she saw them – were starting to frustrate her. 'Hey, this is an easy one' said Rupert. 'You should see how long it takes to do some of the crowd scenes.'

They got back to filming and tried another take.

'…then add the wormwood, stirring continuously.' Slap! 'Ow! What was that for?'

'It's valerian you prat, not wormwood!'

'CUT!'

David walked over to them, trying to smile. 'Hermione' he said, his voice very low, 'the line is "No, Ronald, its valerian, not wormwood." Then you roll your eyes and sigh.'

'I. Do. **Not. Ever**. Roll. My. Eyes.'

'Hermione does.'

'No. I. Don't.'

'**Our** Hermione does, and she doesn't **hit** people.'

'Your Hermione sounds a bit wet.'

David turned to Dan and Rupert, who was rubbing the back of his head. 'Ok, lads, take five. "Emma", I like to do a few close ups of you rolling your eyes and sighing; it's all good stock stuff we can cut in later.'

'You want me to roll my eyes and sigh?'

'Yes.'

'Huhh.'

'Not yet, the camera isn't running.'

'That was me.'

'Ok, go.'

'Ahhhrg.'

'Bit too much; I want a hint of frustration, not anger.'

'Uhhh'

'Good! Now, roll the eyes. No, that was a swivel, not a roll.'

'Ron'd be the one swivelling if he ever mixed up wormwood and valerian; it's second year stuff.'

'Please? Just a roll, with the sigh.'

Dan and Rupert stood at the coffee counter and breathed an enormous sigh themselves.

'She's a bit feisty, isn't she?' said Dan.

'You're lucky you weren't on the receiving end! She doesn't half pack a clout. Do you reckon she's always like that?'

'If she is I bet they don't have trouble revising.'

-o0o-

David Yates had two painkillers for dinner, and an early night. It was probably one of the worst days shooting he'd ever had, and he very much doubted they could use any of it. Hermione had this unfortunate tendency to think she was right all the time; and with no experience of acting found it hard to project herself into a role – even it the role was meant to be her.

Then there was the magic to cope with. She was meant to _Accio _a book at one stage. Of course, all she had to do was wave the wand, say the word and hold her hand out. The rest would be done by GCI in post-production. They only just realised in time that she seriously intended using her own wand. Admittedly, it would have been quite funny to see the looks on the crew's faces as a book flew through the air, but he didn't have a clue how they'd explain it.

That wand had the potential to cause huge amounts of problems. She wanted to deal with any lighting problems using _Lumos_, and didn't see why they needed microphones either.

'What's wrong with using _Sonorous_?' I know mubbuls don't use magic in my world either, but if you can, why not just do it?' she'd asked – well, demanded.

'Because' said David. 'Don't you have a Statute of Secrecy, or something?'

'Well, yes, but I use magic at home. It makes things so much easier.'

'That's different. Your parents know about you.'

She'd glowered at him; it was a look he was becoming very familiar with. If Emma didn't come back or they couldn't change Hermione, it wasn't only that scene that was in trouble, it was the whole film.

-o0o-

Hermione walked back to her room with Rupert after dinner, which they'd had in a private room again. Dan wasn't too happy with Hermione, either, and thought it safe to keep her out of the way for as long as possible.

'So, here we are' she said, outside her door.

'Yeah,'

'Rupert, you're right. I don't think we should…you know, like last night. One day at a time, yeah?'

'I think so.' She looked up at him. Was that hurt on her face? A suggestion of a tear? 'Look, it's not that I don't like you, or anything, but…let's take some time to get to know each other, and take it from there.'

She nodded, and gave a small, sad smile. 'You're right. Well, I'll see you in the morning. Good night.' She turned to go into her room, looking very small and vulnerable..

'Hermione?' She turned back, and found herself in his arms again. She couldn't help but smile. She did like him, honestly. Tomorrow she would learn how to be an actress. Let's face it, she was pretty good already.

-o0o-

Emma stretched. 'I think I'll turn in; I need to do some thinking.'

'About your future?' asked Dan.

'Yes. If you're going to school tomorrow I'll come with you. I should have a talk to Professor Dumbledore. I don't really want to stay here when you leave, so I might as well get something organised.'

'Where will you head for?'

'London, probably. He says he's got some friends there, and I'll need to go to the Ministry, anyway.'

'We'll come and see you, Emma, every holiday. We don't want to lose touch with you.'

'Thank you. You've been so kind to me, and I know you're missing Hermione.'

'Do you want to use my room again?' asked Ron.

'If you don't mind.'

'Of course not. I think I'll move into your room though. Harry snoring in his own bed is one thing, but when you're sharing…'

Emma smiled, despite herself.

'I'm sorry Ron. But thank you again. I can see why she likes you.' She sighed. 'It's touched so many of us, hasn't it? It's you I feel really sorry for.'

'Hey, don't mind me. I'll cope.' His eyes looked rather wet, though.


	7. Chapter 7

Ron opened his eyes the next morning, and it took him a few moments to remember where he was.

'Well, I'm still here.' He fell back on the pillow, giving himself a few minutes to wake up. Then the phone rang.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

He made his way back to his room, clutching his wand, and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

He knew now how Fred and George must feel when they looked at each other, but more so. Because, it wasn't a twin; it WAS him.

'Bloody hell.' They even used the same words.

-o0o-

Hermione woke and looked around her room. It was her room; she was back! She had to be certain so jumped out of bed and pulled open the wardrobe door; there were her dresses hung neatly on hangers, and her shoes on the floor. There were spell books on the side, not glossy magazines.

She was back. Her parents were here, and Ron. Rupert wasn't, and nor were the millions of galleons. But, she was back in her world; the real world. Except, it wasn't a real world, it was a world somebody had made up and all the things that had happened to her and her friends could have been avoided. She punched the wardrobe door in frustration.

'Ow! That hurt!'

She went to the bathroom and put her hand under cold running water until the pain began to subside. She may be the figment of somebody's imagination, but she was definitely real. She could think – and feel.

She looked at herself in the mirror. The paint and powder was gone, along with the elegant hairstyle.

'Ron loves me, and we'll have children together and be happy. Rose - Rosie, Hugo. And we'll play in the garden and go on trips and I'll watch them grow, with Ron. Make the most of what you've got.'

She decided she should tell him she was back; he must have worried about her.

-o0o-

'WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HIS ROOM?'

She couldn't believe her eyes. This was obviously Emma, the painted film star, in MY boyfriend's bedroom in MY nightdress. Hermione pushed the girl aside.

'Well, you certainly didn't waste any time, did you? Getting your foot in the door, are you?'

'Hermione?'

'Oh, he mentioned me in passing, did he? What have you done with him?' She stormed into the bathroom, but it was empty. She pulled open the wardrobe, and even looked under the bed.

'WHERE IS HE?'

'He's not here.'

'I can see that. I'VE got a brain. Popped down to the kitchens so you can have a cosy little breakfast in bed, has he?'

'What? NO! He's never been here.'

'Oh, please! Give me some credit. THIS IS HIS ROOM!'

'I know. Look, just shut up and listen, will you? I didn't want to stay in my room – your room, so we swapped. The first night he shared with Harry, but last night he slept in your room.'

'What?'

'We swapped rooms. He slept in there.' Emma sank to the bed. 'Now you're here. You were in my room, I suppose?'

'Yes, I'm back. If you'd shown a bit of spine we could have had this sorted. Now I've lost both of them.'

'Both?'

'Never mind.' Hermione sat on the bed next to Emma, and put her head in her hands. 'Let's go and find Harry.'

-o0o-

'So what happened?' Rupert's voice sounded flat, crushed.

'Emma didn't want to stay in her room, so we swapped. When I woke up…' Ron shrugged.

'Hermione was gone' Rupert finished for him, which made Ron look at his doppelganger with slightly narrowed eyes.

'Yeah' he said slowly. 'Gone, back to where she belongs.' Ron looked down to his hands. 'You got on alright with her, did you?'

Rupert thought for a moment. 'Yeah.' He would never see her again; he knew that, so there was no point crying over spilt milk. 'You're very lucky, Ron; she's a nice girl. She cried when she realised you weren't there.'

Ron looked slightly more cheerful. 'Better make sure I get back then.'

'So it's the room' said Rupert, changing the subject. 'That's the locus, not the person in it. OK, it gives us a way forward. You sleep in there again tonight, and we have to hope they've worked it out as well. Hermione should.'

'She's smart' they both said together.

-o0o-

'I don't believe this' said Harry. 'You're back, but Ron's gone? How?'

'It's the room' said Hermione. 'Whoever sleeps in the room gets…worm holed, as long as there's somebody in the other room as well. That's why I didn't come back yesterday; my room here was empty.' She shot a glance at Emma.

'Do you know what a worm hole is?' asked Emma.

Hermione nodded. 'Rupert explained it all to me. **He's** very clever, isn't he?'

'Different' said Emma. She looked Hermione straight in the eyes. 'So, you didn't have a problems "getting a foot in the door" then?'

Hermione blushed slightly, and Harry decided to change the subject. 'So, what do we do now?'

'She' Hermione nodded her head towards Emma, 'goes in the room tonight. Rupert will have figured out what's going on by now. As long as Ron sleeps in her room (Harry picked up on the stresses on "her" and "she". Women!) then everything should put itself right tomorrow.'

'I'll send a note up to the school telling McGonagall I'm staying here with "our guest"' said Harry. 'I suppose we should tell her you're back, and that Ron's gone as well, shouldn't we? I'll tell everyone else you and Ron are in bed…I mean, ill.'

'You mean I'll have to miss lessons?' said Hermione, looking distraught. 'I've already missed one day; I must have so much homework to catch up on.'

'But if you go back, I won't have an excuse not to. It's only one day.'

Hermione threw another glare at Emma. She was to blame for everything.

-o0o-

Rupert took Ron to meet Dan. They found him with David Yates and Jo Rowling. David was not pleased.

'Fantastic! So they've both gone? We're going to have to tell the Child Welfare people, and her parents.'

'No, it's ok' said Rupert. 'If we can hold out for one more day, we think we can put it right. It should all be over by tomorrow morning.' He turned to Ron. 'Fancy meeting the rest of you classmates?'

'Is that wise?' asked Dan.

'Of course. Look, we go down to breakfast together, have a chat, then I leave and Ron replaces me. Trust me!'

So that's what they did. It was going quite well, and Ron was astonished at how alike everybody was. He could recognise them all. Then "Lavender" came over.

'Hi! Where's Emma?'

'Umm...not well' said Dan.

'Oh! That's soooo sad. I'll pop up and see her, shall I?'

'NO! I mean, no, she's asleep at the moment. She needs some rest.'

'What's wrong with her?'

Dan blanched. 'Ate a funny whelk, been up all night.' It was the only thing he could think of. 'She's asleep now. So what are your plans for today?' He desperately hoped she'd be on location.

'I've got to shoot a scene of me crying in the toilets after Ron dumps me.' She smiled at "Rupert".

'He never meant to hurt you' said Ron. 'He did love you, sort of in his own way.'

'No he never! He was just getting back at Hermione. He used Lavender, that's all. What a loser! It's Hermione I feel sorry for; fancy ending up married to that! Bye!' She waved and was gone.

Ron sat there staring blankly. 'Let's go' said Dan.

Ron was very quiet as they walked back up to the bedrooms. 'Is that what people think of me? That I'm a loser?'

'Of course not' said Dan, as cheerfully as possible, whilst thinking "Beam me up, Scotty". 'You're one of the team, you end up a hero. You're just a bit…well; you have trouble expressing your feelings, sometimes, don't you?'

'You mean to Hermione?'

'You know she cried when she realised she might never see you again? Just tell her how you feel.'

'That's easy enough for you to say.' He stopped and turned to Dan. 'If you were her, who would you fancy? Me or you?' Dan goggled at him. 'No, I'm serious. Harry, right, he's like this big hero and famous, and Quidditch Captain, and I'm just…Ron.'

Dan patted Ron on the shoulder. 'She loves you, not Harry. Harry's like her brother. Just go for it.'

They met up with Rupert, and spent the day talking about Quidditch, and what it was really like to fly on a broomstick. Then they turned the TV on, and watched football. 'Dean thinks this is great' said Ron. 'I wonder why?'

-o0o-

In Harry's room, things weren't going quite so well. The girls were sort of…trying to avoid each other and Harry was having a great deal of trouble keeping the conversation going.

'So what did you do last night?' he asked in the end. Hermione jumped a little bit.

'Oh, we just had dinner together; me and Rupert…and Dan. He's you' she said to Harry. 'And I met Jo; she's the one who wrote the books. She's really nice, and was upset about what she'd done, but it's not her fault is it? She just didn't know.'

She looked at Emma a little sheepishly; she'd been a bit rough on her earlier 'I had to borrow one of your dresses, I hope you don't mind, but I only had my school uniform otherwise. You've got some really nice clothes, haven't you?'

'That's alright. Most of them are given to me, or I get paid to wear them.' Hermione looked very impressed; Emma shrugged. 'It's like advertising for the designers.'

'I used your make-up as well.'

Emma shrugged. 'That's ok; I get given that, as well. Anyway, I borrowed one of your dresses too.'

'They're not as nice as yours.'

'No, I liked it. It was very nice.'

'Did you use my make-up?'

'Umm…'

'I haven't got as much as you. I don't really know what to do with it, not properly.'

Emma looked at her a little shyly. 'Would you like me to help you? I've had loads of advice, from some really top people, about what works and what doesn't.'

'I'd like that. Thank you.'

Harry ended up thinking that going to school might, on balance, have been the better option. Once they'd started, the girls talked continuously about "base layers" and "highlights" and loads of other stuff he couldn't understand. In the end, he got so bored he started on some homework. It was quite a relief when McGonagall turned up once her lessons were finished for the day.

'I agree with you that the room does seem to be the problem. Yes, try it tonight and see if the situation resolves itself. I certainly hope so; Professor Dumbledore wants you all back at the school in the morning. The Common Room isn't quite sorted out as yet, but he thinks we can cope, and I think it will be much safer.'

-o0o-

Both groups ate privately again that night. By tomorrow, if it worked as they thought it should, everyone should be back in their rightful place and could get on with their lives.

This mad adventure would be over.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione had spoken to Emma the previous night, before they went to bed.

'I'm sorry about earlier. It was the shock of seeing you instead of Ron.'

'I know; you miss him.'

'Yeah. Look, when you go back…can you…will you give Rupert my love?'

Emma smiled and hugged Hermione. 'I will, I understand. Make me a promise though? Will you give Ron your love too? He's really nice; he just needs a bit of help. He's your future.'

Hermione nodded. 'I'll do that. Goodbye.' They hugged once more, and Emma went into the room.

-o0o-

Hermione was up at first light, knocking on the door. A very tousled Ron opened it.

'Hermione?'

'Oh, Ron!' She threw herself into his arms. 'Oh, I've missed you so much.'

'He hugged her back. 'Same here. Look, Hermione, I need to talk to you…about us.'

-o0o-

Dumbledore's visitor was already in the room above the bar of The Leaking Cauldron when he arrived.

'As punctual as always, Tom.'

Voldemort refused to rise to the bait, Dumbledore would never acknowledge him, and he knew that.

'A request for a private meeting, outside the school? How could I resist? I take it you are not here to offer me the role of DADA teacher.'

'No. My plan didn't work. She came back.'

Voldemort raised his eyebrows. 'You failed? The mighty Dumbledore? Getting old?'

'The path was two-way. I hadn't allowed for that.'

'And you can't try again?'

'That Universe has collapsed, now. There were too many passages through it.'

'So create another.'

Dumbledore pulled back his sleeve to show a withered and blackened hand. 'It took more power than I imagined. I will not deny it has weakened me.' He saw the gleam in the red eyes opposite him.

'So you'll just have to kill her, and forget these foolish notions you have.'

'I cannot, Tom, and you know it.'

Voldemort laughed. 'Love? Which you keep telling me make one all powerful. You have risked yourself for one mudblood, for love?'

'Yes, I am fond of her. I would be proud to call her my daughter, no matter what her background. But she is no mudblood. Her pedigree is as long as yours, and as good.'

'So, you still say she is a descendent of Antioch Peverill?'

'Oh yes. She most certainly is, and that is what makes her so dangerous. When you turned Harry into a horocrux you merged two of the lines in a way that cannot be broken. She is the third. If they were to …breed, the child would link all three brothers and create a wizard the like of which we have never seen. If he then reunited the Hallows…' Dumbledore was unable to finish.

'He would be a worthy adversary' said Voldemort, taking a sip of wine.

'You fool, Tom! You think you could defeat him? He would crush you, yes and me, as if we were squibs. He would be Nemethith – the destroyer of worlds. I cannot allow that to happen.'

'Yet, you cannot kill her.'

'No. I tried to create a world where she could live, and perhaps find happiness. But, as I say, I failed.'

'Is Potter a potential mate?'

'I have tried to put distractions in her way; Viktor Kron, though I doubted she would accept him. The Weasleys are a better bet; she has six to choose from, and seems attracted to the youngest boy. But, it is still too risky. As long as her bloodline exists, there is a chance – one day. It may take another generation, or one hundred, but one day they could cross. Of course, had you not killed Potter's parents, the situation would not have arisen. I feel you will die without issue, and that would have been the end of it.'

'You have your plans, and I have mine. The other alternative is to kill the boy; as is prophesised.'

'Oh, Tom! You have allowed yourself to be blinded by that. In doing so you have created your enemy, and possibly – probably – your own downfall.'

'He cannot beat me, Dumbledore, and once you are unable to protect him…'

'I do not protect him. I teach him.'

'But can you teach him enough, in time?' Voldmeort nodded towards the hand.

'I have taught him to think. Tom, he has powers you have not ('Love, again!' Voldemort snorted) and a part of you inside him. I have confidence in him.'

'And I have confidence he will be destroyed.' Voldemort stopped to consider. 'Very well, Dumbledore. I shall lower myself to be your assassin. There is a price, of course.'

'Name it.'

'You will step aside, and give me a free run at the boy.'

'That can be arranged.'

Voldemort threw back his head and laughed. 'I have won, Dumbledore. You know that, don't you? You will give your life "for the greater good", and I get Potter – and the wand.'

Dumbledore eyed him shrewdly. 'You live for tricks, Tom, yet refuse to acknowledge there are things we cannot know.'

'Power IS knowledge, Dumbledore. You give me all this, and the means to stop the only _creature_ who could ever match me. You have given me the world. When?'

'Sunday night. I shall take the boy out of the school for a few hours.'

'How do we get in?'

'Your "recruit" has completed the task you set him. He had help, of course, although he did not realise it.'

'Whether he succeeded or failed meant little to me. His success simply makes it easier.'

Dumbledore stood and made for the door. With his hand on the handle, he turned.

'Just one thing, Tom. I am fond of her, and this is not her fault. Please, as the last thing I shall ever say to you; make it as quick and painless as you can.'

Voldemort nodded curtly. It made no difference to him, she was just one more and he had long since lost any pleasure in killing; it was a means to an end.

-o0o-

_Postscript_

'_I'm putting the Elder Wand back where it came from' said Harry. 'Then if I die a natural death its power will be broken.'_

'_Are you sure?' Dumbledore's portrait asked._

'_I think Harry's right' said Hermione quietly._

'_We have to go and find the Weasleys' said Harry. 'It's been so hard for them. Ginny, the night you died, and now Fred…' his voice broke '…and Ron. I don't know how we'll cope without Ron.'_

_Hermione put her arms around him, and pulled him into a hug. 'We will, Harry, we have to. If we can't all this would have been in vain. Everything.'_

_Harry took her hand in his, and they walked from the room. A tear rolled down Dumbledore's cheek._

Fin


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